Deut 4:1-2, 6-8; Jas 1:17-18, 21-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8; 14-15, 21-23
A young woman approaches a priest for confession. She says, “Father, I feel dirty nowadays.”
“Why?” the priest asks.
“I haven't been to the parlor lately and I missed my facials”, the girl explains.
“Okay, what else?” the priest asks.
“I also feel I'm getting proud lately,” the girl adds.
“Why?” the priest inquires.
And the girl explains: “It's because every time I look at myself in a mirror I always say to myself 'What a beauty!' Is this not pride, Father?”
And the priest begins to give his advice: “First of all, you really don't have to feel dirty without your facials. As long as you wash yourself, it's fine. There is beauty in simplicity, you know. And about this pride you are talking about, I guess it's not the problem. For me, the real problem is your eyesight.”
What would make people unclean and what would make them sinners?
For the scribes and the Pharisees, people sin if they fail to observe what is required by the Law and tradition. On his part, however, Jesus says that sin starts from the person's heart because it is from there that come “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, ” and others. What is Jesus trying to tell us here?
Laws and traditional practices could serve the moral life of people. In the first reading, Moses explains to the people of Israel the great importance of the Law in the building up of their nation. Israel should be grateful to God for giving them these laws, the following of which is essential to their total well-being. Even today, peace and prosperity of nations and churches are made possible because of the existence of moral laws.
Nonetheless, mere following of the letter of the law is not enough for a disciple of Christ. For Jesus, observance of laws would only be praiseworthy if this is done with a good heart and mind. He criticizes the Pharisees because their following of the Law is often done for others to see, not heartily. Moreover, they impose strict observance of the letter of the Law even when doing so is no longer beneficial to people. The Lord's objections to the Pharisees are these: “For what good are your clean hands if your hearts are dirty?” “For what purpose is your strict observance of the Sabbath law if you would not even lend a helping hand to a needy person?”
We can explain the point of Jesus by understanding two simple moral issues. For example, almsgiving is considered a moral action. However, if you give alms to poor people with the intention of getting their votes in the coming elections, then your action becomes immoral. The bad intention of your heart has made the supposedly good action wrong. On the other hand, failure to attend Mass on a Sunday is considered sinful. But, if you missed the Sunday Mass because you were attending the needs of a dying neighbor, then you did not commit any sin. In fact, what you did was meritorious. The moral demand of a law ceases when there is a greater obligation to fulfill.
So, what really makes people morally impure from the Christian point of view?
First, a person sins if he shows no respect to God's commandments and to manmade laws which are in consonance with the will of God. There is a moral obligation to follow the demands of a just law. However, there is a challenge to understand the spirit or the real intention of every law, divine and human, so as not to impose it unnecessarily to ourselves and to others.
Finally, a person becomes a sinner if his observance of a moral law is not sincere or is not motivated by a good intention and purpose. There is a moral obligation to fulfill every just law with sincerity and with a noble intention in mind. For example, we should attend Mass every Sunday not simply to fulfill an obligation but to unite ourselves with the Christian community in praising God and in praying for all our needs. Likewise, we should actively participate in parish apostolates not to be praised but to provide needed assistance to the poor and the less fortunate.
It is good to end this reflection with another question: What makes us pure or pleasing in the eyes of God?
The psalm of the day gives us a picture of people who are acceptable to God: “Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the Lord; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent” (Ps 15:2-5).